Joe Biden promised to be a “bridge” to a new generation. Now, that bridge is stretching on much longer than expected. Mark Leibovich reflects on why the idea of Biden as a long-term proposition is wearing thin. Read by Karl Miller.

Exploring the American idea through ambitious, essential reporting and storytelling. Of no party or clique since 1857.

The Atlantic

So much for Biden, the bridge President

Frequent-flier programs are a symptom of a much deeper rot in the American air travel industry. And although getting mad at airlines is perfectly reasonable, the blame ultimately lies with Congress, Ganesh Sitaraman argues. Read by Ron Butler.

Airlines are just banks now

Jenisha Watts moved to New York certain of one thing—that no one could know her past. Here, she reflects on how abuse and her mother’s addiction shaped her childhood, and how she eventually found an escape in literature and writing. Read by Jenisha Watts.

Jenisha from Kentucky

Until General Mark Milley, no chairman of the Joint Chiefs had confronted the possibility that the president might provoke a coup, explains Jeffrey Goldberg. In this profile, he reveals that Milley may have done more than any other American to protect the Constitution from Donald Trump. Read by Sean Crisden.

The Patriot

The future of Hollywood’s workers, not only the writers and actors currently on strike, is up for debate. Shirley Li reports on the professionals reevaluating their relationship with the industry. Read by Sarah Naughton.

The Hollywood dual strike isn’t just about the writers and actors

The former TV host and actor was a mascot, at best, for a media culture that routinely dehumanized and hypersexualized young women. Sophie Gilbert reflects on how Russell Brand was both a product and a part of a particularly dark moment in British culture. Read by Emma Powell.

Russell Brand wasn’t an anomaly

The assassin who allegedly killed Shinzo Abe says he was aiming for something larger: The Unification Church—the Moonies—and its political influence in Japan. The Atlantic explores the bizarre story behind a brazen assassination. Read by Michael Satow.

The Prime Minister and the Moonies

We can't go back to a time before our online privacy was at risk, but "we can demand much more from the reckless stewards of our information," argues Charlie Warzel. Here, he grapples with what digital privacy means in 2023 and why it's so hard to find a fitting metaphor. Read by Karl Miller.

Slouching toward ‘accept all cookies’

Elon Musk has become a national security problem that the government can’t solve. Maybe private industry can. Steven Feldstein explores how America can confront growing security risks from Elon Musk and Starlink. Read by Mark Deakins.

The answer to Starlink is more Starlinks

Alone in his study, ballpoint pen in hand, Richard Nixon would scratch underlines into the pages of his books. Andrew Ferguson reflects on how attempting to divine their meaning offers a glimpse into the president’s inner thoughts. Read by Ron Butler.

Nixon between the lines

The contentment of being true to yourself comes through doing good work and doing it with love. Arthur C. Brooks provides his most treasured career advice.  Read by Sean Crisden.

The only career advice you’ll ever need

Harriet Beecher Stowe said Josiah Henson inspired her most famous character, Uncle Tom. But Henson longed to be recognized by his own name and for his own achievements. Clint Smith explores his fascinating story. Read by Sean Crisden.

The man who became Uncle Tom

The novelist George Eliot’s marital trajectory was unconventional and not just by the standards of her time in Victorian Britain. Ann Hulbert reflects on how her stories offer a subversive, many-layered vision of marriage. Read by Emily Woo Zeller.

Life after 'I do'

Dream Hampton is arguably the most significant music journalist of her generation. Despite spending her career criticizing hip-hop’s shortcomings, she can’t help trying to fix it. Spencer Kornhaber tells her story. Read by Michael Satow.

The joy and the funk and the mire

Caitlin Flanagan delves into the concepts of toxic masculinity and heroic masculinity and their implications in modern society. Read by Betsy Foldes Meiman.

In praise of heroic masculinity

Ever dreamed of having a permanent vanilla scent? Self-help subliminal messages have been around for decades, but teenagers are making them far, far weirder, reveals Kaitlyn Tiffany. Ready by Marni Penning.

‘Subliminals’ have a power no teen can explain

A recent report found that books by prominent authors are being used to train AI. How does it feel to know your work is being used this way? The best-selling author Stephen King reflects on this revelation. Read Sean Crisden.

Stephen King: My books were used to train AI

Simply seeking out people who are different from you will make you smarter and more contented. Arthur C. Brooks reveals the substantial happiness benefits of celebrating diversity. Read by Michael Satow.

How to get the most happiness from your social life

The problem with Hunter Biden's business

The biggest problem with Hunter Biden’s access-peddling business may have been that his father, the president, thought it was fine. “His unconditional public support for everything his son has done serves to sanitize and reinforce a business model that provides image-laundering services for foreign kleptocrats and monetizes access to power,” reflects Sarah Chayes. Read by Marni Penning.

Not illegal but clearly wrong

Donald Trump’s upcoming trials will make for the most surreal presidential election cycle in American history. But the legal system can’t solve the political problems the former president poses. Quinta Jurecic reflects on why the Trump Trials will make 2024 a very strange election year. Read by Marni Penning.